Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1887-05-25
County Construction Company. On the
18th day of July, 1876, the


lolclng thereat. Inc entire town, IN q
spirit of jubilee, celebrated the event in
true western border style. Many rail
roads have come and gone on their way
since then, but not one has ever crested
as much Joy and enthusiasm as this one.
They are a common occurrence now.
| They build into the city and scarcely a
ripple is caused by their entrance. Each
| no doubt adds to the general advantage
of all the people, but they ere looked
upon as matter of course. There is
now no need of home construction COM
panies. The work is done in a quiet
way by q citizens committee that guar
antees the desired subsidy and the roads
are built. But the same determined
spirit and loyalty to Fort Worth exists
as strong as ever, and if call is made
each citizen IS ready TO share in the trou-
bic and expense.
AN INCIDENT
(the truth of which is not asserted herel
illustrates the feeling of the town when
the Texas and Pacific road came TO the
city. 1t is said that on the night of July
Is, 1876, the City Council met 10 con
slider municipal affairs, and, in view of
the fact that the time for completion of
the road to this city wss TO expire on the
18th inst. following, the town limits
were temporarily extended several
miles into the country on the
east in order to help the contractors.
This may be true or il may be false, but
Fort Worth is certainly capable of dong
almost anything in the way of building
railroads.
With the advent of the railroad the
town blossOmed like rose, and in few
months the village on the bluff, nearly
one mile north of the railroad, COM
menCed its slow march toward the south.
Business houses multiplied as trade
increased, and streets commenced
to be defined in what had been fields and
gardens; supplies were now easily OBJ
tanned and the nucleus of the city's pres
ent large wholesale trade was founded;
great quantities of cotton, buffalo hides
and ali manner Of products peculiar to the
times and soil were brought from hundreds
Of miles OF terri Org tributary to this
nearest shipping point; the present great
merchants Of the city were then doing q
very large retail trade III rudely con-
structed store-hCuses and an era of great
prosperity was on the town; the new
road did thriving business for couple
Of years and then pushed on towards the
WRIST TO WEATHERFORD.
When the road passed on 10 Weather
ford there was q general feeling of re-
greet, and many citizens and business men
followed it to that terminus; business
stood still for awhile and an exodus of
population disastrous to the town fol-
loved and for short time the success Of
the brave little city which then had some
5000 population was shrOuded in doubt,
but unseen forces were at work, and
finally the place begsn to improve again.
Nature had chiseled out site for city
here which was almost circled by flowing
water, and on an elevation to be found
nowhere else in this section Of the state;
rich, fertile country, rapidly filing up
with settlers, began 10 afford 8 substantial
and permanent support, and again the
place was on boom.
In May, 1880, the Texas and Pacific
Company built the TransContinentaI di-
vision Of its road into the city from Den
ison ON the north, and it was operated by
this company jointly with the
Missouri, Kansas and Texas,
which was then in the Mis-
souri, Pacific combination, giving Fort
Worth another outlet toward the ceu.er
of population in the east. This extern
sion made Fort Worth q conspicuous
figure upon the railroad chess-board
of the great southwest, and other roads
were 10 king in the direction of what
promised to be the basis for future rail
road operations in Western and North
western TeXas. 1t is well know nthat the
Texas and Pacific made this extension,
under contract with the Missouri Pacific
to give the latter a ninety-nine years!
lease on the road. In it's construction
the Fort virtually acquired two rail
roads, the Missouri Pacific running
through TO st. Louis, and the TRANSCRIPT
mental division of the Texas and Pacific,
extending through the richest agricultural
region in Texas, along the fertile valley
of Red river to Texsrksna.
During the year 1873 the Texas and Pa
citic pushed on west, building towns
along its path which helped to swell the
growing wholesale trade of Fort Worth,
until January l, 1882, a junction was
formed with the Southern Pacific road
523 miles west of this city, and on the
18th of the same month the road was
opened for traffic to Ell Paso, and 8
line was established from St
Louis TO San Francisco via the Iron
Mountain road, and Fort Worth lay
in the path Of one of the longest and
greatest railroad combinations on the
continent.
MISSOURI PACIFIC.
Immediately after the Texas and Pa
ciflc had finished its branch line from
Fort Worth to WhitesbOTO, in May, 1880, |
the international Improvement Company, |
which was extending the great Missouri |
I D. ~ fTaxyou /
to build south from Fort Worth, and soon
q southern exit was had which extended |
through various connections all through |
Southern Texas and Mexico. A bonus Of
$4,000 was raised and presented TO this |
road as an incentive to hasten the work, !
This great system, with It's thousands of |
miles of track and leased lines, proved q |
addition TO the city, and |
in two years the population of the |
place had increased from about 1000 |
10 $4,000. In December, 1882, the total |
number OF miles operated by the Missouri |
Pacific system was 1896. Ii was about |
this time that Fort Worth commenced 10 !
give indications that it would battle for !
the commercial superiority of interior !
Texas, and be the basis Of all future rail-
road operations in Western and North |
western Texas. Two of the great trunk |
lines, running east and west and north
AID south through the territorial limits of !
the state, crossed each other in its center,
and consequently e very large percent
age of the varied products of Texas
passed through the city on their way to
eastern markets. Capitalists seeking in
had their attention turned to-
ward it, and January l., 1888, found the
city on the eve of its greatest boom inter